Our species --
rather new to "planet Earth" --progressed from cave dweller to space explorer in
the blink of an eye ... so to speak. Why were we put here ... or evolved here?
What power or quirk endowed us with a brain so much more creative than every
other creature on earth ... and for what reason?
The evolution of man
progressing beyond his ability to walk upright is solely attributable to his
capacity for imagination, motor skills and incomparable genius. From emanations
deep within his psyche he developed and shaped his world. To stand back and view
what he has wrought be it for good or otherwise, is his essence ... his purpose.
A right of all mankind, barring no one.
Ages of experimentation;
social, philosophical, scientific, have produced great accomplishments and
abstract failures. They are testimonials of man’s reluctance to remain stagnant
-- isolated from free thought ... blocked from resourceful origination.
At the beginning of the
20th. century, schooling and industry, seemingly in step, nurtured and
incorporated the fertile mind as never before by "encouraging" its potential.
Taking advantage of that coalition, one could reach for the stars. "Mind" was a
precious asset, its promised creativity was unquestionably in vogue.
As we advanced toward the
21st. century, did we enter another dark age, blacker and more devastating than
ever before? Has "mind" become a threat to be countered?
With today’s technology
(its progressing insidious controls that are developing restrictive
environments) the engulfing forces of "Power" are responsible for earmarking
that concern.
Though we have ascended
from our beginnings to now in an evolutionary blink, the rampaging technological
world engulfing us was conceived and installed a million times faster.
Imagine a junction in time
-- not so long ago -- sixty, seventy years at the most. It can’t even be
described as a blink. Telephones were a rarity, automobiles could be parked
wherever ... one on this block, one on another. Television didn’t exist, radio
was just making its way into people’s homes. One kept perishable food in an
ice-box, or out on the fire-escape in the winter. Gas light was giving way to
the newly introduced electric bulb. There were a thousand other developments
that were yet to come. Who made them come to life? People no different than you
-- except, they labored in an era that welcomed and rewarded a multitude of
diverse capabilities leading to spontaneous creativity.
They dreamed and tinkered,
maybe succeeded, perhaps improved, or tried again. It was a time of unfettered
possibilities. Teachers encouraged students to utilize their minds. The emphasis
was to be "innovative." Youngsters were "adequately primed" for a broad range of
rewarding jobs.
Today (as if there were no
yesterdays) it’s the educators who grope for innovation, haphazardly scurrying
to develop something to repair the damage they have wrought.
Once students brought an
apple to the teacher.Today teachers provide the "APPLE" for their students. How
did this happen? Is it an improvement? Is it a detriment? The jury is still out
on this. I believe it contains rather than helps to free up one’s mind.
A mere two generations
past, every library teemed with youngsters. "Books" elevated conciseness ...
becoming imaginations magic carpet-ride to anywhere in the universe. They were
avidly read, they were the stepping stone’s of wisdom.
Today we are desperately
trying to overcome a national epidemic of "functional illiterates." Why? Who
took tomorrow away from this generation? Why are millions of minds being fed a
diet that’s causing intellectual starvation?
Where do the strings of
regression "manipulating us" ... come from? Who are the puppeteers? Could it be
the inevitability of social evolution? Could it be today’s style of parochial
government? Could it be runaway science? Could it be ... "CORPORATE"?
This book will attempt to
investigate and scrutinize those subjects and others ... looking for linkages.
----------------------------------
In 1939, at the New York
World’s Fair, millions were teased with a portrait of the future ... and went
for it. Interruption by the turmoil of war, only delayed dreams. There was no
loss of focus, no diminished vision of the future. No sooner had the war ended
the rush for the good life resumed.
Whether tradesman or Ph.D.,
life was waiting to be bettered. We didn’t just talk about it ... we did it. An
accepted family and work ethic coupled with believability in its value drove us
to achieve.
Personal growth blossomed,
the nation grew, the sweet aroma of a united can do attitude filled the air.
Success was not dependent on a college diploma ... not many could afford it.
Success was innovation, striving, being respected for it, and encouraged to act
that way.
The pendulum of progress
swung back and forth, sometimes faltering, but always regaining momentum. No one
had the slightest doubt about their future, and that the future for their
children would only be better.
Protectors of the pendulum
-- those we put in charge and trusted to keep it steady ... what have they done?
"The conventional family"
-- our nation’s backbone... has dramatically disintegrated. For far too many the
dream has become endowment, a disenfranchised nightmare. A fundamental role --
"mother" -- is increasingly no longer possible, she’s working, she has no
choice.
Children grow up without
traditional parenting, without guidance, without rewarding education ... without
a chance. Is this the master plan for our future?
The "carrot" technocrats
have dangled before us, "a fabulous future" -- has it just overwhelmed us or is
it being diverted by "power and greed"?
Think of this for a moment.
Thirty years ago, behind the counters of McDonald’s, youngsters (high school
age), receiving minimum wage, welcomed the opportunity to earn a few dollars
spending money.
Recently, while standing in
line at McDonald’s, something struck me. No youngsters were behind the counter.
Now there were grown-ups working for minimum wage ... not for spending money.
They were working to stay alive.
The hamburger I ordered
mistakenly became a cheeseburger. Apologizing, "I’ll change it " said the
elderly gentleman. He scanned the computerized cash-registers key-board,
searched for a moment, and as his finger went for the correct key, he proclaimed
... "I didn’t push hamburger."
Is this our future? Will
the "Chip" -- touted to be mankind’s best yet beast of burden ... in actuality
prove to be his nemesis? This newest technological tool, depicted to work
symbiotically with its operator, will it instead subjugate and remold him ...
into what?
Far too many of today’s
struggling workers no longer think of tomorrow’s prosperity. Tomorrow has become
sadly obscure. There is a fear of losing the good job they trained for, and
distraught about being directed to retrain for one that pays far less. What is
this retraining mania all about? PUSHING HAMBURGER! ... can’t you see that?
It’s a concept that is not
necessarily tied to a machine ..."oh no." It has already gone far beyond that
relationship. It has become the style, the way of inserting people into
compartmentalized functions. People are now becoming the "binary numbers" in a
much larger scheme ... "the reorganization of man."
Look around, you can’t help
but see it. The smallest restaurant isn’t able to function without a "Push
Hamburger" register. The supermarket checker passes your purchases over a
bar-code scanner, unconcerned that the electronic announcer and price display
are malfunctioning and overcharging. What for ? Where is the incentive?
Ever get a telephone bill
with an outrageous charge, tried to correct it and became worn out in the
process? Why can’t the button pushers at the other end of the line push the
right button, correct the error, and perform efficiently? Although they are
tethered to state of the art technology, how can they? All they have been
trained to do, is "Push Hamburger" ... not to think. The "Chip" has become
inviolable -- god like -- the master. "Man" ... what has he become? Has he
regressed to becoming the dissatisfied protector of the servant?
This rush to a cerebral
vacuum -- a "2,001" society dominated by a "Hal like" atmosphere, is proceeding
at warp speed.
Industrialization
substantially diminished the extended family. Electronification is in the
process of destroying it entirely.
For the moment we activate
the "Genie." Not until we consciously push the hamburger command can a burger be
created. How soon will that last tenuous superficial act of control ... come to
an end?
Are we destined to eventually become the
container of the "Genie"? Will the last vestige of diminished dignity, the
finger that pushes ... finally become the finger that’s pushed?
Be patient
downloading. It's worth it.
